Netherlands Vs. Denmark, 2012 European Championship: Total Football, Now With More Thuggery!

So much for the beautiful game. The Netherlands now engage in high-level face-breaking. Poor Christian Eriksen. Who could have guessed the Eredivisie would fail to prepare him for Dutch football?

Follow @SBNationSoccer

The Netherlands were once the most admired team in the world for their style of play, even though it won them nothing. Now they play a double pivot with Nigel De Jong and Mark van Bommel. Oh, how the times have changed.

Of course, the Netherlands still have some great attacking players and are by no means boring, but they're not the free-flowing, attacking side that everyone is used to when they hear the name of the country. They look a lot like the team they're going to play on Saturday, Denmark. Just with bigger name players who play for bigger clubs.

They're going up against a Denmark side that beat Portugal in qualifying to get here without going to a playoff, which is coincidentally the exact same way that they qualified for the 2010 World Cup. They're considered by most to be the bottom of the barrel team in this group of death, but it's a group of death because all four teams in the group are very good.

---

Related: Netherlands Team Preview | Denmark Team Preview | Christian Eriksen Profile | Robin van Persie Profile

---

Denmark and the Netherlands play slightly different versions of the world's formation de jour, the 4-2-3-1. Both will play with a true No. 10 in front of a double pivot, but that's where their similarities end. Even though the Netherlands isn't as attacking as they used to be, they're still a pretty fluid side. Denmark will stick to their shape. The Netherlands have very attacking wingers, while Denmark's are two-way players. And, perhaps most importantly, Denmark's two defensive midfielders do not feast on the blood of infants for sustenance. They'll have to hope that someone forgets to deliver Mark and Nigel's daily supply of small children to their hotel.

Dude, where's my total football?

Go talk to a football fan who grew up in the 1970s and they'll wax poetic endlessly about Johan Cruyff and the 'Brilliant Oranje'. Even though the Netherlands has never won the World Cup and Cruyff's team never won the European Championship, they're still talked about endlessly as one of the most brilliant groups of players ever. The likes of Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit played the same beautiful football en route to a 1988 European title. That football is dead.

You hear me? Dead.

See, the Netherlands have this problem where two of their best midfielders are nasty, kick-you-in-the-teeth, down and dirty scumbags. It doesn't really fit with the whole 'Total Football' thing the nation is famous for. So, Bert van Marwijk has decided, 'to hell with tradition, I'm building around my best players', and that got him to a World Cup final in 2010. Good for him! Karate kicks for everyone!

But wait, why do Netherlands have to play two holding midfielders? Denmark's not in their league, right?

Wrong! Denmark are actually pretty awesome. No, they don't have Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie, but Christian Eriksen is pretty darn good. The Ajax playmaker might use the Euro 2012 stage to catapult himself into the view of some of Europe's biggest clubs, though he'll have to do a lot to take the spotlight off of fellow young playmaker Alan Dzagoev. As easy as it is to make fun of Holland for being so conservative and playing two complete thugs in their midfield, it's actually a pretty good tactic for dealing with Denmark's best player.

Projected Netherlands Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenberg; Jetro Willems, John Heitinga, Ron Vlaar, Gregory Van Der Wiel; Nigel De Johg, Mark van Bommel; Ibrahim Affelay, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben; Robin van Persie

Projected Denmark Lineup (4-2-3-1): Anders Lindegaard; Simon Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen; Niki Zimling, William Kvist; Michael Krohn-Delhi, Christian Eriksen, Dennis Rommedahl; Nicklas Bendtner

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: The face of the little man who wears No. 8 for Denmark will run red with blood while the men in Orange shirts do a celebratory dance. And later Robin van Persie will score. 1-0 Netherlands.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local

Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN 2 (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Netherlands Vs. Denmark, 2012 European Championship: Total Football, Now With More Thuggery!

So much for the beautiful game. The Netherlands now engage in high-level face-breaking. Poor Christian Eriksen. Who could have guessed the Eredivisie would fail to prepare him for Dutch football?

Follow @SBNationSoccer

The Netherlands were once the most admired team in the world for their style of play, even though it won them nothing. Now they play a double pivot with Nigel De Jong and Mark van Bommel. Oh, how the times have changed.

Of course, the Netherlands still have some great attacking players and are by no means boring, but they're not the free-flowing, attacking side that everyone is used to when they hear the name of the country. They look a lot like the team they're going to play on Saturday, Denmark. Just with bigger name players who play for bigger clubs.

They're going up against a Denmark side that beat Portugal in qualifying to get here without going to a playoff, which is coincidentally the exact same way that they qualified for the 2010 World Cup. They're considered by most to be the bottom of the barrel team in this group of death, but it's a group of death because all four teams in the group are very good.

---

Related: Netherlands Team Preview | Denmark Team Preview | Christian Eriksen Profile | Robin van Persie Profile

---

Denmark and the Netherlands play slightly different versions of the world's formation de jour, the 4-2-3-1. Both will play with a true No. 10 in front of a double pivot, but that's where their similarities end. Even though the Netherlands isn't as attacking as they used to be, they're still a pretty fluid side. Denmark will stick to their shape. The Netherlands have very attacking wingers, while Denmark's are two-way players. And, perhaps most importantly, Denmark's two defensive midfielders do not feast on the blood of infants for sustenance. They'll have to hope that someone forgets to deliver Mark and Nigel's daily supply of small children to their hotel.

Dude, where's my total football?

Go talk to a football fan who grew up in the 1970s and they'll wax poetic endlessly about Johan Cruyff and the 'Brilliant Oranje'. Even though the Netherlands has never won the World Cup and Cruyff's team never won the European Championship, they're still talked about endlessly as one of the most brilliant groups of players ever. The likes of Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit played the same beautiful football en route to a 1988 European title. That football is dead.

You hear me? Dead.

See, the Netherlands have this problem where two of their best midfielders are nasty, kick-you-in-the-teeth, down and dirty scumbags. It doesn't really fit with the whole 'Total Football' thing the nation is famous for. So, Bert van Marwijk has decided, 'to hell with tradition, I'm building around my best players', and that got him to a World Cup final in 2010. Good for him! Karate kicks for everyone!

But wait, why do Netherlands have to play two holding midfielders? Denmark's not in their league, right?

Wrong! Denmark are actually pretty awesome. No, they don't have Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie, but Christian Eriksen is pretty darn good. The Ajax playmaker might use the Euro 2012 stage to catapult himself into the view of some of Europe's biggest clubs, though he'll have to do a lot to take the spotlight off of fellow young playmaker Alan Dzagoev. As easy as it is to make fun of Holland for being so conservative and playing two complete thugs in their midfield, it's actually a pretty good tactic for dealing with Denmark's best player.

Projected Netherlands Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenberg; Jetro Willems, John Heitinga, Ron Vlaar, Gregory Van Der Wiel; Nigel De Johg, Mark van Bommel; Ibrahim Affelay, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben; Robin van Persie

Projected Denmark Lineup (4-2-3-1): Anders Lindegaard; Simon Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen; Niki Zimling, William Kvist; Michael Krohn-Delhi, Christian Eriksen, Dennis Rommedahl; Nicklas Bendtner

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: The face of the little man who wears No. 8 for Denmark will run red with blood while the men in Orange shirts do a celebratory dance. And later Robin van Persie will score. 1-0 Netherlands.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local

Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN 2 (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Netherlands 0-1 Denmark

Euro 2012: Netherlands v Denmark

• Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv
• Date: Saturday, 9 June
• Kick-off: 17:00 BST

Coverage: BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live, highlights on BBC One and BBC Sport website

Ron Vlaar or Wilfred Bouma are likely to partner Johnny Heitinga in central defence for the Netherlands after Joris Mathijsen was ruled out of the game against Denmark on Saturday.

Mathijsen has a hamstring injury, but he hopes to face Germany on Wednesday.

PSV Eindhoven left-back Jetro Willems, 18, could become the youngest ever player to feature in the Euros.

Stephan Andersen will start in goal for Denmark in the absence of Thomas Sorensen.

Maximising underdog spirit is second nature to Denmark, and Morten Olsen's squad are likely to require a ship-load of Viking strength to get a result against the losing 2010 World Cup finalists.

A nation with a population of under six million, who banned professionals from their national football team until 1971, Denmark have played at four World Cups. And this is their eighth European Championships. As last-gasp replacements for banned Yugoslavia, they even famously won the trophy back in 1992.

That evocative epitome of collective power overcoming all odds 20 years ago in Sweden really should fire them up - as might their status as the outside bet to progress from Group B. They are now ranked the world's ninth-best team by Fifa and match-day two opponents Portugal sit behind in 10th. It is not without reason - they topped the Portuguese in qualifying for this tournament, and the last World Cup,

But the Netherlands, who scored the most goals in qualifying as they racked up nine straight wins before a dead rubber loss to Sweden, are a different matter altogether, and the Danes have never won any of their seven opening matches at European Championships. Allied to that, this clash is a repeat of both team's opening match at the 2010 World Cup, which the Dutch 2-0 won with little trouble.

Though Nicklas Bendtner may disagree, the Danes are without a true star - though Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen will seek to live up to his billing as a potential Nordic Xavi.

The Netherlands, however, boast a raft of world-class forwards. But can Bert van Marwijk make the most of having Premier League top scorer Robin van Persie and the Bundesliga's leading hitman, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, at his disposal?

When he started with both, in their first warm-up friendly at home to Bulgaria, they lost 2-1. After that, Huntelaar was benched and they beat Slovakia 2-0 and then crushed Northern Ireland 6-0.

The Dutch have only lost two of their eight openers at the European Championship. And though the last time it happened was back in 1988 (a 1-0 defeat to the Soviet Union), when they won the tournament - with Germany then Portugal to come, they won't want to risk it again.

Head-to-head

• Of three matches between the two nations at either the European Championships or the World Cup, the Dutch have won twice. The Danes needed penalties to win their Euro 92 semi-final.
• Outside of Denmark's penalty shoot-out win in 1992, they have not beaten the Dutch since 1967.

Netherlands

• They have won just three of their past seven games (losing against Sweden, Germany & Bulgaria).
• The Dutch scored the most goals (37) in qualifying of any team at Euro 2012.
• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's 12-goal haul was one short of the overall qualifying record.
• Jetro Willems, the 18-year-old (& 71 days) PSV Eindhoven left-back who started two of the warm-up games, will be the youngest player to feature in the Euros if he plays against Denmark.
• There are just seven changes to the squad that finished runners-up at the 2010 World Cup.
• The Dutch have progressed from the group phase in each of the last six European Championships.

Denmark

• Of any team at Euro 2012, only Greece (14) scored fewer goals than Denmark (15) in qualifying.
• Denmark won the least amount of corner kicks of any Euro 2012 nation during qualifying (just 38).
• Only England (38) had fewer shots on target then Denmark (44) in qualifying.
• Have lost 12 of 24 matches at European Championships, more than any other team in its history.
• Just two players in Denmark's 23-man squad have played at a previous European Championship.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Netherlands 0-1 Denmark

Euro 2012: Netherlands v Denmark

• Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv
• Date: Saturday, 9 June
• Kick-off: 17:00 BST

Coverage: BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live, highlights on BBC One and BBC Sport website

Ron Vlaar or Wilfred Bouma are likely to partner Johnny Heitinga in central defence for the Netherlands after Joris Mathijsen was ruled out of the game against Denmark on Saturday.

Mathijsen has a hamstring injury, but he hopes to face Germany on Wednesday.

PSV Eindhoven left-back Jetro Willems, 18, could become the youngest ever player to feature in the Euros.

Stephan Andersen will start in goal for Denmark in the absence of Thomas Sorensen.

Maximising underdog spirit is second nature to Denmark, and Morten Olsen's squad are likely to require a ship-load of Viking strength to get a result against the losing 2010 World Cup finalists.

A nation with a population of under six million, who banned professionals from their national football team until 1971, Denmark have played at four World Cups. And this is their eighth European Championships. As last-gasp replacements for banned Yugoslavia, they even famously won the trophy back in 1992.

That evocative epitome of collective power overcoming all odds 20 years ago in Sweden really should fire them up - as might their status as the outside bet to progress from Group B. They are now ranked the world's ninth-best team by Fifa and match-day two opponents Portugal sit behind in 10th. It is not without reason - they topped the Portuguese in qualifying for this tournament, and the last World Cup,

But the Netherlands, who scored the most goals in qualifying as they racked up nine straight wins before a dead rubber loss to Sweden, are a different matter altogether, and the Danes have never won any of their seven opening matches at European Championships. Allied to that, this clash is a repeat of both team's opening match at the 2010 World Cup, which the Dutch 2-0 won with little trouble.

Though Nicklas Bendtner may disagree, the Danes are without a true star - though Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen will seek to live up to his billing as a potential Nordic Xavi.

The Netherlands, however, boast a raft of world-class forwards. But can Bert van Marwijk make the most of having Premier League top scorer Robin van Persie and the Bundesliga's leading hitman, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, at his disposal?

When he started with both, in their first warm-up friendly at home to Bulgaria, they lost 2-1. After that, Huntelaar was benched and they beat Slovakia 2-0 and then crushed Northern Ireland 6-0.

The Dutch have only lost two of their eight openers at the European Championship. And though the last time it happened was back in 1988 (a 1-0 defeat to the Soviet Union), when they won the tournament - with Germany then Portugal to come, they won't want to risk it again.

Head-to-head

• Of three matches between the two nations at either the European Championships or the World Cup, the Dutch have won twice. The Danes needed penalties to win their Euro 92 semi-final.
• Outside of Denmark's penalty shoot-out win in 1992, they have not beaten the Dutch since 1967.

Netherlands

• They have won just three of their past seven games (losing against Sweden, Germany & Bulgaria).
• The Dutch scored the most goals (37) in qualifying of any team at Euro 2012.
• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's 12-goal haul was one short of the overall qualifying record.
• Jetro Willems, the 18-year-old (& 71 days) PSV Eindhoven left-back who started two of the warm-up games, will be the youngest player to feature in the Euros if he plays against Denmark.
• There are just seven changes to the squad that finished runners-up at the 2010 World Cup.
• The Dutch have progressed from the group phase in each of the last six European Championships.

Denmark

• Of any team at Euro 2012, only Greece (14) scored fewer goals than Denmark (15) in qualifying.
• Denmark won the least amount of corner kicks of any Euro 2012 nation during qualifying (just 38).
• Only England (38) had fewer shots on target then Denmark (44) in qualifying.
• Have lost 12 of 24 matches at European Championships, more than any other team in its history.
• Just two players in Denmark's 23-man squad have played at a previous European Championship.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Netherlands Vs. Denmark, 2012 European Championship: Total Football, Now With More Thuggery!

So much for the beautiful game. The Netherlands now engage in high-level face-breaking. Poor Christian Eriksen. Who could have guessed the Eredivisie would fail to prepare him for Dutch football?

Follow @SBNationSoccer

The Netherlands were once the most admired team in the world for their style of play, even though it won them nothing. Now they play a double pivot with Nigel De Jong and Mark van Bommel. Oh, how the times have changed.

Of course, the Netherlands still have some great attacking players and are by no means boring, but they're not the free-flowing, attacking side that everyone is used to when they hear the name of the country. They look a lot like the team they're going to play on Saturday, Denmark. Just with bigger name players who play for bigger clubs.

They're going up against a Denmark side that beat Portugal in qualifying to get here without going to a playoff, which is coincidentally the exact same way that they qualified for the 2010 World Cup. They're considered by most to be the bottom of the barrel team in this group of death, but it's a group of death because all four teams in the group are very good.

---

Related: Netherlands Team Preview | Denmark Team Preview | Christian Eriksen Profile | Robin van Persie Profile

---

Denmark and the Netherlands play slightly different versions of the world's formation de jour, the 4-2-3-1. Both will play with a true No. 10 in front of a double pivot, but that's where their similarities end. Even though the Netherlands isn't as attacking as they used to be, they're still a pretty fluid side. Denmark will stick to their shape. The Netherlands have very attacking wingers, while Denmark's are two-way players. And, perhaps most importantly, Denmark's two defensive midfielders do not feast on the blood of infants for sustenance. They'll have to hope that someone forgets to deliver Mark and Nigel's daily supply of small children to their hotel.

Dude, where's my total football?

Go talk to a football fan who grew up in the 1970s and they'll wax poetic endlessly about Johan Cruyff and the 'Brilliant Oranje'. Even though the Netherlands has never won the World Cup and Cruyff's team never won the European Championship, they're still talked about endlessly as one of the most brilliant groups of players ever. The likes of Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit played the same beautiful football en route to a 1988 European title. That football is dead.

You hear me? Dead.

See, the Netherlands have this problem where two of their best midfielders are nasty, kick-you-in-the-teeth, down and dirty scumbags. It doesn't really fit with the whole 'Total Football' thing the nation is famous for. So, Bert van Marwijk has decided, 'to hell with tradition, I'm building around my best players', and that got him to a World Cup final in 2010. Good for him! Karate kicks for everyone!

But wait, why do Netherlands have to play two holding midfielders? Denmark's not in their league, right?

Wrong! Denmark are actually pretty awesome. No, they don't have Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie, but Christian Eriksen is pretty darn good. The Ajax playmaker might use the Euro 2012 stage to catapult himself into the view of some of Europe's biggest clubs, though he'll have to do a lot to take the spotlight off of fellow young playmaker Alan Dzagoev. As easy as it is to make fun of Holland for being so conservative and playing two complete thugs in their midfield, it's actually a pretty good tactic for dealing with Denmark's best player.

Projected Netherlands Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenberg; Jetro Willems, John Heitinga, Ron Vlaar, Gregory Van Der Wiel; Nigel De Johg, Mark van Bommel; Ibrahim Affelay, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben; Robin van Persie

Projected Denmark Lineup (4-2-3-1): Anders Lindegaard; Simon Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen; Niki Zimling, William Kvist; Michael Krohn-Delhi, Christian Eriksen, Dennis Rommedahl; Nicklas Bendtner

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: The face of the little man who wears No. 8 for Denmark will run red with blood while the men in Orange shirts do a celebratory dance. And later Robin van Persie will score. 1-0 Netherlands.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local

Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN 2 (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here